Out of Ice, Into the Fall
by BitterSweetTeller
Summary: Steve Rogers has already secured getting back the Scepter to Avengers HQ. But, he's not going right back to Avengers HQ...because he realizes he can't just let Natasha and Clint fight each other for the Soul Stone. A alternate ending for Avengers: Endgame. Rated Teen for tragic character death, at least some action, and suggestive content.


Out of Ice, Into the Fall

A Avengers: Endgame Alternate Ending Fanfiction

Side Notes: If you haven't seen or read about the movie Avengers: Endgame, please do before reading this fanfiction. It'll make more sense this way, because this is a alternate ending to the movie...going as far back as the year 1970.

Most everything else still happens.

**S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, the year 1970**

Tony Stark expected to still find Steve on the other side of the open area.

Tony's father just left in his limo.

Tony looks very confused.

Only Captain America's shield is there, lying in front of a metal suitcase.

Tony Stark whispers harshly, "Steve?! Steve?! You lost your shield?! We're almost out of..."

He's frantically looking around.

Through his hi-tech glasses's lens... He scans around the suitcase and shield for anything.

He just finds some lined paper from a desk taped onto Captain America's shield.

Tony Stark takes both the suitcase and the shield.

He ducks behind one of the S.H.I.E.L.D. warehouses.

Some S.H.I.E.L.D. security passes by in front of it.

They're asking others in security if they found some intruders matching Steve Rogers's and Tony Stark's descriptions.

Meanwhile... Tony Stark looks at the note.

He tucks the shield under one of his arms so he can keep all three of these items at hand.

Tony had to put down the metal suitcase he has been carrying.

And, when he reads the note... He gets teary eyed.

He mutters coldly, "boy scout son of a bitch! You can't just...!"

He fiercely crumples up the note in his hand.

But, just then... He hears footsteps.

One of the security personnel calls out, "I hear someone there!"

Tony Stark gulps shakily.

He puts the crumpled note into one of his pockets

At the same time... There's a tiny beep on the time GPS on his time travel suit's wrist.

He quickly presses the button on his time travel suit's wrist to have his helmet come back on.

He quickly grabs up both suitcases.

And, in seconds... He vanishes back to the present through the quantum realm.

This is what the note says:

_Dear Tony,_

_I...I'm sorry. I know now I can't come back with you._

_It's nothing any of us have done, Tony. I know we're past that point._

_But...I can't just stand by and let Clint and Natasha try to kill each other to get to the soul stone._

_I'm ready to move on._

_Looking back, it's kind of funny now. Because I have been for more than five years._

_Tell the Avengers I laid my life on the line so we can get them all back._

_They've always been your thing. But, through the Avengers, the fight for freedom goes on._

_Just...just try to forgive me, Tony._

_Signed,_

_Steve Rogers_

At Vormir...

Clint Barton starts to run.

He's about to jump off the edge.

Natasha Romanov starts to kind of quickly get up.

But, suddenly... Steve Rogers appears right in front of Clint Barton.

Steve Rogers is teary eyed.

He struggles to hold back tears.

Clint Barton stops running on reaction.

He tumbles forward to slow his momentum.

And... Steve Rogers tells him, "I'm sorry, Clint. But, I... Hard sniffle. I can't let you kill yourself."

He puts a arm up in front of Clint.

Clint Barton mutters very coldly, "Steve... I don't know what you're doing here. But, I'm beyond redemption. Hard sniffle. You've all seen me kill because I didn't know there was another way after all. Let me..."

Natasha Romanov looks very confused.

She's about to ask that very same question to Steve.

But, suddenly... Steve Rogers surprise punches Clint Barton down in the stomach.

He goes down on his side.

He coughs hard, struggling to breathe. But...he is still breathing.

Barely.

Natasha Romanov very faintly smiles.

She considers, "that was a really good punch, Steve. But...why are you...?"

Steve Rogers points out, "I... Hard sniffle. Tony and I found some more Pym Particles in 1970. I left the Scepter with him. I took another trip. Thought you could use a hand."

Natasha Romanov adds, "thanks."

Steve Rogers adds, "you're welcome."

But... Some sobs escape from his lips.

Natasha Romanov looks very concerned.

She gets teary eyed.

Natasha Romanov points out, "Steve, I...I want to know what's wrong. But...but how do I know you're really you?"

Steve Rogers very faintly smiles.

He faintly laughs.

He comments, "yeah. Always on guard."

Natasha Romanov very faintly smiles back.

Steve Rogers recalls, "just before Scott found us...you told me, "you know, if you're about to tell me to look on the bright side...I'm about to hit you in the head with a peanut butter sandwich." Who else would know?"

Natasha Romanov faintly smiles more.

She realizes, "wow. It's...it's really you."

Steve Rogers says, "yeah. Captain Steve Rogers."

Natasha Romanov presses, "now tell me: Why?"

Steve Rogers finds it hard to look at her or Clint.

He sobs.

After a bit... He takes a deep breath in.

Steve Rogers puts a arm out toward Natasha as he does.

Natasha looks fairly puzzled by this. This really wasn't like him, and she usually knew exactly what was on his mind for years.

Steve Rogers says, "I'm sorry. Hard sniffle. I'm sorry...for what I'm about to do."

And, with that... He purposely stumbles off the edge.

He starts to fall...fall fast.

For the first time in who knows how long... Tears are running down Natasha Romanov's face.

She cries out, "no! ! !"

She leap jumps after Steve.

She grabs him in the air.

At the same time...she fires a grappling hook into the ancient stone wall.

They reactively grab each other.

The line holding them both dangles over the seemingly endlessly distant stone ground below.

Natasha mutters, "Steve...please don't do this. Hard sniffle. I know why. I can't let you! It has to be me. Don't you get it? This is what I've always wanted: To save as many lives as I can to make up for the red I left under the KGB and a H.Y.D.R.A. controlled S.H.I.E.L.D. Hard sniffle! I could finally make peace with myself. I could..."

She breaks down crying.

Steve sobs.

They stay there like that for a long minute.

Steve breaks the silence, "Natasha, I... Hard sniffle. We've worked together for years, complaining about trying to get our lives moving already. You don't think I already know?"

Natasha tensely glares all of a sudden.

She questions, "and you want to just throw that "nothing life" with me away?"

Steve points out, "you were just about to."

They both very nervously gulp.

At a near whisper... Natasha admits, "true."

Steve admits, "I...I've been ready to move on for more than five years. Hard sniffle. You could keep making peace with yourself, and it's with the Avengers. You can keep fighting for as many lives as you can without me."

Natasha bitterly shoots back, "the Avengers are dead, Steve. What Avengers?!"

Some tears fall from their faces.

Steve explains, "if you and Clint are alive...so are the Avengers. Faint chuckle. It's how the civil war between us started. Me and Sam sent Clint in to break out Wanda. You and T'Challa stayed well behind Stark until the truth came out about who killed T'Challa's dad. But, together...you can bring back the Avengers. Hard sniffle! Whatever happens in this war with the Infinity Stones...you'll both be alive to keep the Avengers together."

For a second... Natasha looks stunned.

She tries to say, "Steve, I... Hard sniffle! Can't we at least talk this over a little...?"

Then... Steve says, "Natasha, I... Hard sniffle. I'm really sorry for putting you through this. But...you've been through worse."

He tightens his grip on Natasha's hand...breaking her hand.

She reactively lets go of him...clutching her broken hand.

Only the coupling for the tether line keeps Natasha from falling.

She fights the urge to scream in pain.

More tears fall.

Natasha cries out, "Steve! !"

Steve Rogers closes his eyes.

And, he falls...fast for the stone ground.

Natasha tries to reach out with her other hand.

But... She soon hears a sickening thud.

Dark red liquid starts to seep out from behind Steve Rogers's head.

He lies on the stone ground...dead.

By then... Clint starts to physically breathe better.

Natasha cries and cries to herself.

She doesn't even feel her own tether line being pulled back up by Clint.

A long minute goes by.

Then, between her tears... Natasha tells him what just happened.

Clint somberly murmurs, "oh my god. Oh my god!"

They hug each other tight.

And, for who knows how long...they cry and cry.

Meanwhile... The Red Skull in his cosmic spectre robes is creepily smiling to himself.

Somehow, he didn't find his cosmic damnation so bad anymore.

The day after the world is saved...

A new monument has been put in Steve Rogers's museum exhibit.

It's a orange tombstone.

And, it says:

He died fighting for freedom. But, his soul will live on.

A few days later...

There are bouquets of flowers floating down the lake for Steve and Tony at the private funeral.

Steve's bouquet has a model replica of the new monument...courtesy of Nick Fury.

It seemed very fitting to him.

All the heroes came to mourn for Steve and Tony.

Natasha is wearing all formal black.

Her hair is back down...like it was only yesterday when she was telling Steve not to tell her to look on the bright side.

Bucky even thought he could see Natasha silently crying.

But, Natasha was standing far off by the side of the lake.

She didn't want anyone else to see her silently cry for Steve and Tony.

Some time later...

Natasha Romanov is sitting on a bench, looking out to the great lake before her.

Then... Sam comes over.

He informs her, "I just returned all the stones. If...if that helps."

He's wearing a time travel suit...and carrying Steve Rogers's shield.

Bucky, knowing Steve Rogers well, knew he'd want Sam to be the next Captain America. He told him that once before the Infinity War really started.

Natasha doesn't even turn around.

She's still silently crying.

Natasha just says, "that's good."

Sam heavily sighs.

He's teary eyed too.

He points out, "he wasn't just Captain America: He was a good friend of mine as well. Hard sniffle. I know how you got to be feeling."

Natasha finally turns to face him.

She pushes back, "Sam. I know you're trying to help. But...just leave me alone. Hard sniffle! Please."

She breaks down crying.

Sam very awkwardly starts to walk away.

He pauses a little just to be sure.

But... He soon gets the message.

He walks away, leaving her be.

Hours later...

The sun is starting to go down.

But... Natasha is finally starting to faintly smile again.

More tears fall from her face. But...she's not crying right now.

She's still sitting on that bench.

Looking at the water hard enough...and she can see Steve's soul smiling back at her.

She's thinking to herself:

_**I know. We won.**_

_**The Avengers are slowly but certainly getting back together.**_

In a cutaway...

Thanos is getting close to cutting his double edged sword into Thor's heart.

A certain shield suddenly comes whirling around.

It hits Thanos hard just under his chin.

He whirls back around to see who's there.

A violent spin kick to his head in the air.

Thanos groans hard some, clutching his head.

Natasha Romanov tumble lands on her feet to the ground.

She has Captain America's shield strapped on her arm with the broken hand.

And, as Natasha gets up... She's holding Mjolnir in her good hand.

Thanos looks fairly stunned.

Tony looks really stunned.

Thor smiles wide.

He calls out, "yes! I knew you and Steve could!"

Tony very awkwardly adds, "yeah. Of course I...I absolutely knew."

Thanos glares Natasha's way.

Just then... Natasha charges fast with Mjolnir.

Thanos tries to block Mjolnir with his armored arm.

But, before he can... Natasha fires Asgardian lightning into him from Mjolnir in mid-swing.

Thanos violently tumbles and tumbles across fifteen feet.

He kind of quickly gets back to his feet.

Natasha kind of quickly run jump charges right for him...still holding Mjolnir in her good hand.

Her present thoughts go on:

_**Faint laugh.**_

_**I even fought Thanos with Mjolnir and Steve's shield. That felt good to show off to Thor and Tony.**_

_**Hard sniffle.**_

_**I should be happier now. But...**_

_**Hard sniffle.**_

_**But, now I have blue in my ledger.**_

_**It's never happened in so long. But...I understand too well why he did it.**_

_**Hard sniffle.**_

_**To think he...to think we got close to love all those five years of trying to save the world.**_

_**Hard sniffle.**_

_**Deep down in our heads...we both knew.**_

_**If only we both lived now...we'd know for sure.**_

_**I...**_

_**Hard sniffle.**_

_**I never got to really see how well that'd play out.**_

_**Hard sniffle.**_

_**I forgave Clint. Of course I could forgive Steve.**_

_**Maybe that's why we'd never get to really see how well it'd play out: Me and Steve.**_

_**We were too much alike.**_

_**Hard sniffle.**_

_**Hard sniffle.**_

_**But...he's right.**_

_**We may have the Infinity Stones back where they should be. But...who knows if someone else comes along to try again?**_

_**It doesn't even have to be on a cosmic level. Who knows what monsters are out there for the Avengers?**_

_**Hard sniffle.**_

_**But, you know Steve...**_

_**Very faint chuckle.**_

_**...maybe it is long past time I started looking more at a bright side again.**_

_**Five years, seventy... That doesn't always make a difference.**_

_**Sometimes nothing huge really changes after all.**_

_**That's how it mostly was with me and Steve for years.**_

_**Well...putting aside all the huge anarchy out there we tried very hard to help keep down.**_

_**But...at least that was a bright side for me.**_

_**Hard sniffle.**_

_**I'll try hard to keep fighting for as many lives as I can, Steve.**_

_**I owe you that and more.**_

_**Hard sniffle.**_

_**If you happen to hear me from up... Well, wherever you are...**_

_**Very faint chuckle.**_

_**I really hope you don't regret letting me and The Avengers live on.**_

_**I'll try hard to keep fighting for as many lives as I can.**_

**The End...Or the Start of Spin Off Fanfiction?**

**Please Feel Free to Comment On Or Continue This Storyline**


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